Democratic Consensus vs. Reactionary Discourse!

« Thread Started on Jan 7, 2008, 12:41pm »

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A Digital Essay By Onyango Oloo

PART I

A week after the violent post-election crisis in Kenya exploded onto the global stage, there is an emerging consensus among progressive, patriotic and democratically minded Kenyans:

1. Kibaki and his PNU cronies stole the Presidential election using the Electoral Commission of Kenya, and it should be underscored, the police, the paramilitary and other coercive organs of the state;

2. What we have in the country today is the reality of a civilian coup with increasingly fascist tendencies as can be evidenced by massive presence of the police and the paramilitary in the Kenyan capital and the fact that it is often Police Commissioner Major-General Hussein Ali and the Chief Propagandist, Dr. Alfred Mutua who are the visible expression of government policy;

3. Mwai Kibaki’s credibility as a would be elder statesman is forever tarnished and his credentials as a "reformer" and "democrat" shattered to smithereens;

4. The poor and other elements of the lumpen elements de classe have turned their anger on each other reducing the conflict to crude tribal terms as they simultaneously hunt the “evil ethnic other” and cower from the same; unless stanched and nipped in the bud, the ethnicized violence poses immediate and long term threats to the very notion of Kenya;

5. That the business and professional elite as well as other sections of the comprador/petit bourgeoisie, rattled by the financial ramifications of the current unrest are desperate to restore an element of “stability” and social control by bombarding Kenyans, via the air waves and media channels of the need for a “peace” which is not necessarily anchored in justice or democracy;

6. The major players in the capitals of capital- from Condoleeza Rice at the US State Department, to David Miliband the British Foreign Secretary to their counterparts and opposite numbers in Ottawa, Canberra, Paris, Berlin and elsewhere are concerned that the current unrest could degenerate into something that they cannot control or to a situation that threatens the economic and geopolitical strategic interests of international global monopoly capital;

At the other, reactionary, backward and right wing end of the ideological and political spectrum, there is a desperate fight back to revise the reality of the recent developments and create a counter-discourse that is characterized by the following hall marks:

(a) A strident attempt to force a shot gun marriage between Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki that will effectively legitimize the December 30th civilian coup and undermine the potency of Raila’s popular, national democratic bedrock of support around the country;

(b) A dishonest attempt to broker "peace" without paying attention to the blatant injustices perpetrated on the Kenya people by the stealing of the presidential election;

(c) A melodramatic campaign alleging that some specific communities are the subject of a "genocidal attack" as a convenient smokescreen to wish away the totalitarian acts of state terror and fascist reprisals against peaceful pro-democracy campaigners;

(d) A crass push for political realignments spearheaded by power hungry election losers like Kalonzo Musyoka and the majority of former government ministers who were trounced by ODM at the parliamentary elections.

Bearing in mind the patriotic and democratic consensus I spoke about above, let us look at the reactionary counter-discourse and its political implications.

I will deal with each factor in turn.

A strident attempt to force a shot gun marriage between Raila Odinga and Mwai Kibaki that will effectively legitimize the December 30th civilian coup and undermine the potency of Raila's popular, national democratic bedrock of support around the country;

In my opinion, those hankering for a so called "government of national unity" are those members and supporters of the PNU who realize that their leader Kibaki has lost all moral authority to govern this country. More importantly, they know that in parliament they simply DO NOT HAVE THE NUMBERS to form a legitimate working government that can enact laws and implement policies. Even though they have Kalonzo's ODM-K as their not so secret trump card, they do know also that Kalonzo Musyoka has been totally discredited as a national politician not just by his pathetic showing at the polls, his obscene pressures on the ECK to release fraudulent results, his opposition to an internationally brokered mediation process but most principally by his cynical horse-trading behind the scenes to ascend to the position of vice-president-this in an outfit that he spent his entire campaign trashing at every pit stop. Any attempt by Raila Odinga to even consider this possibility will thoroughly undermine Agwambo’s credibility and national stature especially in the aftermath of the stolen elections. If he did this it would confirm those slurs that all the Lang’ata MP is interested in is raw political power, devoid of any devotion to principles.

A dishonest attempt to broker "peace" without paying attention to the blatant injustices perpetrated on the Kenya people by the stealing of the presidential election;

I analyzed this phenomenon in depth in my recent essay, No Justice No Peace!! so I need not rehash anything here. Please click on the following link if you have not the essay:

http://jukwaa.proboards58.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=general&thread=1199355331

A melodramatic campaign alleging that some specific communities are the subject of a "genocidal attack" as a convenient smokescreen to wish away the totalitarian acts of state terror and fascist reprisals against peaceful pro-democracy campaigners;

In many respects this is perhaps the most manipulative and devious of the counter-discourse being perpetrated by the PNU camp. It goes something like this:

Quote:Hundreds of innocent Gikuyu men, women and children have been slaughtered and thousands more forced to become internally displaced people as a direct result of the hatred whipped up by Raila Odinga and ODM and that the ethnic violence flows directly from ODM’s Majimbo/Ugatuzi electoral platform which they equate with rabid Kikuyuphobia.

While it is 100% correct to say that many, many members of the Agikuyu people have been direct victims and targets of ethnic specific violence and also true that thousands are now displaced and homeless, it takes a huge stretch of the imagination to sustain the allegation that Raila Odinga and ODM are behind the criminal attackers of innocent Agikuyu.

Facts are often not very convenient to those who want to make sweeping allegations unsupported by empirical evidence.

For instance, Raila Odinga went out of his way to plead for a peaceful, democratic and just determination of the contentious issues swirling around the controversial tabulation process leading to the announcement of the fake presidential results and he stressed that it would be very unfortunate and Kibaki and the powers that be would be held responsible if Kenya became another Ivory Coast. This demeanour is not consistent with a blood-thirsty tribal war monger who was intent on Kenya descending into an ethnic dystopia.

Moreover, the ODM was prevented, by bayonets, tear gas, live and rubber bullets to address its followers and pass them ANY KIND OF MESSAGE. Raila and the ODM leadership can hardly be now accused of "inciting" and "instigating" their followers when Michuki unleashed his triple fascist weapons: an effective gag on the media; an illegal ban on opposition rallies and the flooding of public and civil spaces with ferocious looking trigger happy members of the GSU and other security troops.

CONTINUED>>>>>>>
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« Reply #1 on Jan 7, 2008, 12:43pm »

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PART II

Judging by most objective media reports, the brutal attacks that targeted members of the Agikuyu all over the country were SPONTANEOUS acts of lumpen and often criminal mobs who vented their anger on innocent Kenyans whose only "crime" was sharing an ethnic background with Mwai Kibaki.

To take this a step further, let us examine closely the charges of "genocide" that have been bandied around by PNU zealots who want Kenyans to forget that all this violence was sparked off by the criminal and illegal announcement that Mwai Kibaki had been "elected" the country's fourth president.

I looked up the term “genocide” in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia and this is what I gleaned:

Quote:
Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, religious or national group. While precise definition varies among genocide scholars, the legal definition is found in the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG). Article 2 of the CPPCG defines genocide as "any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life, calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group."… Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation, except when accomplished by mass killings of all members of a nation. It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be the disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups…...any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group;

...The phrase "in whole or in part" has been subject to much discussion by scholars of international humanitarian law.[11] The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia found in Prosecutor v. Radislav Krstic - Trial Chamber I - Judgment - IT-98-33 (2001) ICTY8 (2 August 2001)[12] that Genocide had been committed. In Prosecutor v. Radislav Krstic - Appeals Chamber - Judgment - IT-98-33 (2004) ICTY 7 (19 April 2004)[13] paragraphs 8, 9, 10, and 11 addressed the issue of in part and found that "the part must be a substantial part of that group. The aim of the Genocide Convention is to prevent the intentional destruction of entire human groups, and the part targeted must be significant enough to have an impact on the group as a whole." The Appeals Chamber goes into details of other cases and the opinions of respected commentators on the Genocide Convention to explain how they came to this conclusion.

The judges continue in paragraph 12, "The determination of when the targeted part is substantial enough to meet this requirement may involve a number of considerations. The numeric size of the targeted part of the group is the necessary and important starting point, though not in all cases the ending point of the inquiry. The number of individuals targeted should be evaluated not only in absolute terms, but also in relation to the overall size of the entire group. In addition to the numeric size of the targeted portion, its prominence within the group can be a useful consideration. If a specific part of the group is emblematic of the overall group, or is essential to its survival, that may support a finding that the part qualifies as substantial within the meaning of Article 4 [of the Tribunal's Statute]."[14][15]

In paragraph 13 the judges raise the issue of the perpetrators' access to the victims: "The historical examples of genocide also suggest that the area of the perpetrators’ activity and control, as well as the possible extent of their reach, should be considered. ... The intent to destroy formed by a perpetrator of genocide will always be limited by the opportunity presented to him. While this factor alone will not indicate whether the targeted group is substantial, it can - in combination with other factors - inform the analysis."

I have deliberately quoted such a huge chunk to inform the debate around the question of whether a case can be made that what is happening in Kenya today is genocide.

In my opinion, I think it is RECKLESS and DISHONEST to further inflame passions in the already taut Kenyan crisis by making sweeping statements about genocide in Kenya whereas the facts seems to suggest that among the poor in the cities and countryside there have been widespread criminal acts of murder, rape, looting, plunder and even ethnic cleansing TARGETING specific tribes among them the Agikuyu, especially in the Rift Valley.

This ethnic targeting include the case of a Kikuyu mob torching houses in Kikuyu Township inhabited by Luhyas and non-GEMA communities; Kisiis being singled out for allegedly voting for the President; Luos in Kibera and elsewhere being killed and forcibly circumcised by gangs allegedly associated with the dreaded Mungiki sect.

All of these ethnic specific terror attacks are reprehensible and should be condemned by ALL Kenyans irrespective of their political affiliations.

In other words it is patently DISHONEST to suggest that it is only the Agikuyu who are being targeted.

Let us also put the current violence in perspective.

Who is responsible for the highest number of civilian casualties?

Marauding Luo mobs?

Wrong answer.

Vengeful Kikuyu gangs?

Wrong again.

Enraged Kalenjin warriors?

One again, wrong answer.

Here is the truth:

The highest number of deaths has been caused by the STATE itself, working at the behest of masterminds who want to “protect” the illegal Kibaki usurpation.

Judging the bullet riddled bodies in hospitals across the country, it is clear that it is the police and the paramilitary who are responsible for most of the killings so far.

A report carried on Page 9 of the Monday, January 07, 2008 edition of the Standard accuses the police of shooting minors in the western city of Kisumu and its environs.

Eight year old Loreen Awuor testifies that she was sitting inside her home in Koru when a group of police officers broke in and shot her-threatening to come back.

Washington Odhiambo who is only eleven reports that he was shot in the abdomen after a lorry full of GSU paramilitary troops fired shots at Kona Mbaya in the Manyatta neighbourhood of Kisumu.

Kevin Otieno, 13, was shot in the thigh by AP cops at Kibuye Market on the 6th of January.

My own brother told me about four days ago that he personally went to the New Nyanza Hospital where he counted ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY BODIES, most of them bullet riddled and including several INFANTS.

How many civilians have been shot dead in Kibera and other parts of Nairobi?

Were they all looters, murderers and rapists?

And even if they were suspected criminals, is it lawful in Kenya for police to shoot to kill with impunity?

Related to the above, even though there is substantial evidence that the police and paramilitary TARGETED Luos in Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay and other areas, I would personally still hesitate before I built up a case of genocide against the police.

There is simply insufficient evidence for me or anybody to claim that those cops were out there to FINISH OFF MEMBERS OF THE LUO COMMUNITY from the face of the earth.

The cops were there on a brutal fascist mission:

to suppress any forms of popular dissent and protest-and I think it is IRRESPECTIVE of the ethnicity of the protestor as can be evidenced by similar police brutality in Mombasa, Kakamega, Bungoma, Eldoret and other Kenyan towns and neighbourhoods.

Why then the claims of Agikuyu particularism when it is a fact that ALL THE INNOCENT VICTIMS were KENYANS and that each and every one of their lives was precious and did not deserve to be lost, especially on account of one’s tribal background?

For me, I think, and I repeat, it is a disingenuous and ultimately DECEPTIVE attempt to shift the FOCUS from the immediate cause of all the violence-Kibaki's civilian coup-to a preoccupation with victims of one particular community.

The end goal is to let Kibaki off the hook and coerce Kenyans into believing that "We" as in ALL Kenyans are somehow to "blame" for the aftermath of the stolen election fiasco and fracas.

Well, some of us ARE NOT BUYING that manipulative argument because it is simply not held up by the reality on the ground.

Let us remember:

Before Kibaki was illegally and unjustly announced as the fake “winner” of the Presidential poll, NOT A SINGLE LIFE HAD BEEN LOST because of the election results- and I am not forgetting that up to 100 people had lost their lives in pre-election violence before December 27, 2007.

And both in the local and international media it is often overlooked that at the same time as the Eldoret church atrocity was being played out by murderous mobs, Moi's farm in the Rift Valley was being torched so we must remember that NOT all the attacks were necessarily ethnic.

Moi was a CLASS target because the people who attacked his property were fellow Kalenjins.

A crass push for political realignments spearheaded by power hungry election losers like Kalonzo Musyoka and the majority of former government ministers who were trounced by ODM at the parliamentary elections.

It has been pathetic watching election losers like Musikari Kombo, Raphael Tuju, Suleiman Shakombo, Mukhisa Kituyi, George Nyamweya, Moody Awori and of course Mwai Kibaki MASQUERADE as the “government” of the day when the reality is that they ALL lost their jobs on election day.

It has been even more comical following the empty grandstanding of Kalonzo Musyoka, Mutula Kilonzo and other members of the also ran ODM-K posse pontificating on the future of Kenya even as they shamelessly lobby for positions in the same Kibaki regime that they boasted loudly of vanquishing at the polls.

The attempts of PNU poll robber barons and the shifty schemers in ODM-K to cobble together a "coalition government" is the SECOND attempt to subvert the democratic will of the Kenyan voters who overwhelmingly rejected BOTH PNU and ODM-K.

The next government should and must be formed by the ODM whose 100 seats (give or take one) plus the 3 from NARC and the couple from UDM and other friendly parties gives them the DEMOCRATIC and LEGAL mandate to form the next government with the popularly elected Raila Odinga at the helm of this government.

Let us recap the patriotic, progressive and democratic consensus I spoke about at the beginning of this essay:

•Kibaki and his PNU cronies stole the Presidential election using the Electoral Commission of Kenya, and it should be underscored, the police, the paramilitary and other coercive organs of the state;
•What we have in the country today is the reality of a civilian coup with increasingly fascist tendencies as can be evidenced by massive presence of the police and the paramilitary in the Kenyan capital and the fact that it is often Police Commissioner Major-General Hussein Ali and the Chief Propagandist, Dr. Alfred Mutua who are the visible expression of government policy;
•Mwai Kibaki’s credibility as a would be elder statesman is forever tarnished and his credentials as a "reformer" and "democrat" shattered to smithereens;
•The poor and other elements of the lumpen elements de classe have turned their anger on each other reducing the conflict to crude tribal terms as they simultaneously hunt the "evil ethnic other" and cower from the same; unless stanched and nipped in the bud, the ethnicized violence poses immediate and long term threats to the very notion of Kenya;
•That the business and professional elite as well as other sections of the comprador/petit bourgeoisie, rattled by the financial ramifications of the current unrest are desperate to restore an element of "stability" and social control by bombarding Kenyans, via the air waves and media channels of the need for a "peace" which is not necessarily anchored in justice or democracy;
•The major players in the capitals of capital- from Condoleeza Rice at the US State Department, to David Miliband the British Foreign Secretary to their counterparts and opposite numbers in Ottawa, Canberra, Paris, Berlin and elsewhere are concerned that the current unrest could degenerate into something that they cannot control or to a situation that threatens the economic and geopolitical strategic interests of international global monopoly capital;

If we start with the last bullet point about the major players in the capitals of capital being concerned about events in Kenya because of their geo-political strategic and ideological interests, it then behooves Kenyans of a democratic and patriotic mien to transcend these imperialist interests even as we lobby the same capitals of capital to isolate the Election Thief Mwai Kibaki.

We must craft our own immediate and long term democratic agenda that is not simply a carbon copy of the West’s blue print for Kenya. This may very well mean expanding the spaces of contest to incorporate AND go beyond the immediate ODM locus as we insist, campaign for and struggle together for the restoration of democratic rule in our country.

Progressive Kenyans, especially those of us who are socialist and part of the Left must do much more to expose the agenda of the tiny Kenyan comprador/petit bourgeois business elite (generally pro-PNU) who preach a vacuous “peace” devoid of Truth and Justice.

We must educate, sensitize and galvanize the poor and especially the lumpen elements to rise above and move away from the parochial, backward tribal mindsets which makes them conceive of the "enemy" in destructive and violent ETHNIC TERMS. There is a lot of work to be done here and it will have to involve faith leaders, women, peace makers, musicians, artists, athletes and sports people, mediators and those with conflict resolution and conflict transformation skills and experiences.

We as progressive, patriotic and democratic Kenyans must immediately do the groundwork to form A NATIONAL MOVEMENT built on the four cornerstones of PEACE, DEMOCRACY, TRUTH and JUSTICE.

The bedrock of this movement should be Kenya’s youth, the women, all democrats and anti-imperialists and not forgetting the huge community of patriotic Kenyans abroad.

This movement should be publicly launched before the end of January 2008 and it should have as it main immediate goal:

The removal of the illegal Kibaki civilian junta which usurped power during the infamous December 30th Coup.

Completed January 7, 2008, 12:30 pm

Onyango Oloo
Nairobi, Kenya
http://jukwaa.proboards58.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1199698886